By Daniel Buenas
Securing the future for a new Asia will require balancing the relationships between the US, China and Japan, managing potential hotspots in the region and fostering closer regional co-operation, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Leong said yesterday.
Addressing defence ministers from over 20 countries at the 4th International Institute of Strategic Studies Asia Security Conference last night, Mr Lee highlighted the current strategic situation in the region and issues that related to its stability.
He said that the triangular relationship between the US, Japan and China had in the past provided the "tripod" of stability for the region and remained a critical part of its security framework.
However, Mr Lee added that in the new Asian landscape, the "balance of the three legs" would have to shift. Of particular importance was the relationship between China and Japan, he said, although US-China relations had also become increasingly important in this "strategic triangle".
"Amicable relations between (China and Japan) are critical to stability in the region," Mr Lee said, noting that the two countries shared a complex and intertwined history.
"While economic relations are growing the two countries have not come to terms with the history of the Second World War," he said. "The two countries therefore need to find wise ways to gradually defuse the issues and work towards reconciliation."
In terms of China-US relations, Mr Lee said that the growth of trade and economic ties between them provide a "strong incentive" for a cooperative relationship, and that Chinese leaders recognise that they will need to work with the US in order to continue economic growth.
"At the same time, mainstream US policy-makers are convinced that the US needs to engage and cooperate with China, and manage the frictions and domestic political pressures which will inevitably arise from time to time," he said. "They recognise that a strategy of confronting China will incur its enmity without seriously blocking its growth, while any attempt to contain China will have few takers in the region."
Mr Lee pointed out that the US response to Asia cannot be confined to its relationship with Japan and China alone.
"Beyond this triangular core, the US must engage Asian countries across a broad front," he said. "In particular, the US needs to actively engage the Asean countries, both as a group and individually."
He said that, while Asean countries continue to develop ties with China and India, they were still keen to enhance their links with the US, as American corporations can generate investments and jobs on a scale which Chinese and Indian companies cannot.
Mr Lee added that links between Asean countries and the US ensure that the growing cooperation between Asian countries does not lead to a "closed arrangement that splits the Pacific down the middle".
Another issue that Mr Lee raised was maritime security in the Malacca Straits. He said that every year, some 50,000 ships carrying 30 per cent of the world's trade and half the world's oil pass through this stretch of water, and that with growing Asian demand for energy, this traffic will only rise.
"Disruption of this vital artery would have immediate economic and strategic implications far beyond South-east Asia," he said. "Securing the Malacca Straits will require shared political resolve and effective operations on the ground, at sea."
When asked in a question and answer session later what could be done between countries in the region to achieve this, Mr Lee pointed to various ways including sharing of intelligence, resources, and training.
But there were also "political sensitivities" and "practical considerations" involved, which would have to be overcome. Mr Lee also said in his speech that the region has been facing an increasing number of trans-border issues, such as the financial crises, counter-terrorism, Sars and the recent tsunami.
This means that there was a need for Asian countries to promote cooperation among themselves, he said. He suggested that this could be done by fostering greater dialogue, strengthening cooperation between regional defence and security organisations and building an open and inclusive architecture of regions: cooperation. "We value our close relations with out Asean partners, and will build on them to strengthen cooperation among Asian countries," Mr Lee said.
"Through our collective efforts, we can rise to the challenges of terrorism, capitalise on the emergence of China and India, and manage the potential trouble spots in the region, to secure a successful future for Asia."
